


Addiction

by chaoticrandomness



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ficlet, Gen, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:31:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4692197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticrandomness/pseuds/chaoticrandomness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which one prison is escaped by falling into another one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Addiction

"Sign this contract to escape." the twins say, as they shove a contract and a pen at you. 

 

(You are a prisoner in this world and this is the only way out. You are a slave to your own internal prison, but we're giving you the key to escape.) 

 

You quickly write your name on the sheet of paper and shove it at them, and the prison disappears. 

 

(The correct answer is not yes.

 

Unlike the other times, the correct answer is to rip up the contract and run.) 

 

* * *

 

 

The news is reporting on an increase in violence among teenagers and illegal firearm sales. You do not care one bit about this, yet there's a voice screaming at you in your brain. 

 

(Put on the mask and free me from this prison. Put on the mask, and you'll escape.) 

 

The voice clamors for freedom. The voice wants to be freed from your body, and it's dragging you towards someone with a gun in their hands... 

 

(Listen to me! Get me out of here! If you don't free me, I'm going to kill you and find a better host, someone who'll actually care about me!) 

 

You shove the mask on your face to save yourself, and energy runs through your veins. 

 

* * *

 

 

Arsene is  _powerful._ Arsene is confident and brash and everything you ever wanted to be in your life, and he's freed you from the mindless prison of your life. 

 

(You want to  _be_ him. You want to wear the mask for the rest of your life, for the mask is the key to your prison...) 

 

Unfortunately, the effects of the mask wear off after a while, and you have to go home and pretend to be normal. But not for long. 

 

* * *

 

 

_Are you on the road to glory or destruction?_

 

Glory. Arsene is who you are at night, when no one can see you and you can wear the mask and become powerful and confident and free. 

 

(Wrong answer.

 

The power starts to wear off after a while, as Arsene is bored of this new routine. But there's a way to repower him and made everything better.) 

 

* * *

 

 

"...officers Sanada, Shirogane, and Satonaka have been dispatched to examine the body...." the TV says as you wake up. 

 

(Why are you even watching the news, anyways? Why does this murder investigation even matter?)

 

You are powerful again, and the mask wants you to wear it during the day. You accept, and you should've done this a long time ago. 

 

(It doesn't matter that you have no idea what exactly you do while wearing the mask. But in your head, you are powerful and capable of doing anything.)

 

* * *

 

 

 

You are figure-skating on concrete and blinding yourself to the outside world and refusing to take the mask off, for you live in a world of power and you're finally free. 

 

(When the mask is off, you're imprisoned. But that's also true when the mask is on.) 

 

The TV talks about murder and the officers bring up supernatural causes of murders and you live in a world where you can do anything. 

 

(Except take the mask off and free yourself from oblivion.) 

 

* * *

 

 

You're out at night again, for Arsene likes going out at night and becoming more powerful. 

 

(The police are following you, for they know everything you do.) 

 

The day you received the contract was the first day of your new life. You have fully escaped this stifling world, and you are no longer society's prisoner. 

 

(You are a prisoner of your own power, and the police are going to arrest you.) 

 

The night turns into a bright world filled with masked men and swords and hundreds of black-tongued monsters, but you're going to win. 

 

(Nothing can defeat you. Except for law enforcement.) 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, here's a fic of my primary P5 theory, which is that the protagonist's prison is the Personas themselves. This is probably not going to happen in canon at all.


End file.
